UK apologizes to India over Tricolor disrespect in London

London, April 20: The United Kingdom government has tendered an apology on Thursday after Indian authorities complained that Indian flag being pulled down from an official flag post, torn, stomped on and burnt on April 18 at Parliament Square, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in the country for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2018.

A few protests against atrocities in India turned violent after the tricolour was torn down from one of the official flagpoles set up for all 53 Commonwealth countries. "We have expressed our concerns with the British authorities and they have apologised for the incident. We have been warning against some of these elements out to make trouble and they have assured us of action. The Indian flag has now been replaced," a senior Indian official associated with the prime minister's visit said.

"Protests and demonstrations are part and parcel of any democratic society as long as they remain peaceful. There are now concerns that some of the more aggressive elements hijacked the tone of the protests", the official added.

The Metropolitan Police had issued a statement saying that "Police is investigating the incident in Parliament Square where the Indian flag was pulled down at 15.00 (UK time) on Wednesday, 18 April. The flag has been replaced. There have been no arrests. Enquiries continue."

A UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) spokesperson said, "While people have the right to hold peaceful protests, we are disappointed with the action taken by a small minority in Parliament Square and contacted high commissioner Yashvardhan Kumar Sinha as soon as we were made aware. "The visit to the UK by Prime Minister Modi has strengthened our relationship with India and we look forward to working even more closely together on a number of important areas."